“Prospects in Poland”, a seminar organised by Bluevine Consulting, was held on 28 of April 2015 at Pałac Sobańskich in Warsaw. This time all eyes turned to Lublin.
How is Lublin perceived by potential investors? How can the region promote itself best abroad? What kind of businesses should the city try to attract?, and How can its potential be improved? These are only some of the questions answered by the key representatives of the city authorities, experts, entrepreneurs, and economic advisors who gathered at the event.
Figures speak for themselves – Lublin is the largest city in eastern Poland with a population of 350 000, 5 universities and nearly 90,000 students. Mariusz Sagan, director of Department of Strategy and Investor Services, Lublin City Office and co-author of “Lublin 2020” argued that, in less than 10 years, Lublin will become one of the top cities for investments in Poland. Why? Because it has effectively and consistently built its business ecosystem by successfully overcoming investment barriers and skilfully using local resources. Lublin proves to be business-friendly not only for the local companies, it also actively supports the most important industrial sectors, such as agriculture, logistics and biotechnologies. Krzysztof Krystowski, the CEO of PZL Świdnik, highlighted the city’s role in the development of the airline industry in Poland.
The final debates of the conference pertained to the challenges that the city is currently facing. The biggest one turned out to be the creation of jobs for university graduates that will help to attract talent. “Human Capital is our region’s future” said Mr. Sagan, “we cannot let young people leave our town”. Another important challenge, as Marek Zuber, economist and financial market analyst, pointed out is the real need for foreign investments. However, there is no reason to be too pessimistic about that. “We can see the growing interest in investments here, especially now when there are tensions in Ukraine, investors turn to Poland” said Tadeusz Buczek, Department of Economy and Innovation, Lubelskie Voivodeship Marshal Office. Lublin is the second fastest growing city in Poland, it has a big potential.
Anna is a passionate bilingual tech writer, geek and music lover.
